Category: Filipino ReaderCon 2013

It may have taken us a while, but here finally, is the professionally produced video of last year’s ReaderCon’s highlights! The video was shot and edited by our generous volunteer Elyss Punsalan, who is not only an author but also a professional videographer. Elyss could only stay until a little after lunch, so the video covers the events until then. Nevertheless, thank you again, Elyss, for sharing your time and talents with us!

And to the rest of you, watch the video to remind you of what happened during Filipino ReaderCon 2013, and to see our answers to the question, “What Do Readers Want?”

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The 3rd Filipino ReaderCon was held last Saturday, December 7, and the winners of the 2nd Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards were announced at the end of the event. In behalf of the FRCA committee, we’d like to thank everyone who participated and helped make this event a success. Thank you also to our judges who spent time to read the books, and to the publishers who generously provided copies of the books to our judges. There were a lot of bumps in the road as usual, but we have learned a lot and we are committed to making the FRCA better in the years to come.

Children’s Picture Book

The children chose Mga Saranggola sa Tag-ulan because they liked the colors, drawings, and the characters trying to fly kites in the rain and using their imagination.

Chick Lit

That Kind of Guy by Mina V. Esguerra (Summit Books)

We picked TKoG because it was funny, lighthearted, and the characters and situations were more relevant/current. It was easy to relate to and (dare we say it) “realistic”, and we think that the Filipino reader would find it most engaging and enjoyable to read.

Novel in English

Woman in a Frame by Raissa Rivera Falgui (Flipside Publishing)

Raissa Rivera Falgui’s Woman in a Frame is a literary masterpiece. It takes all of the best elements of Filipino culture, history, and tradition and fuses them into a cohesive whole, consistently referring to familiar things, places, and events that are distinctly Filipino. It celebrates equality of the sexes, magnifies the effects of centuries-long foreign conquest in present-day society, and honors the importance of family. Like an artist’s magnum opus, Woman in a Frame is a beautiful work of art, a gem in Filipino literature.

Novel in Filipino

What made this novel engaging for us was not just its formulaic plot, but also its back-stories. The author took time to build her characters and abide to a so-familiar formula among our modern romance stories. Matibay ang mga tauhan, may mga kasayasayang pinaghuhugutan, at nag-di-develop ng may dahilan. This made us realize that the author wouldn’t want to mess up with her readers’ intelligence.Finally, the novel is also a wish fulfillment for us. Kwento ito ng pag-ibig, pangangarap, pagkabigo, pagbangon, pagyaman (super yaman!) at paghihiganti – isang bagay na naka-nuot sa ating mga kamalayan bilang tao at bilang Pilipino. Pareho man ang tema nito sa ibang mga finalist, ay mas higit naming nakita ang aming sarili kina Marcial at Carmen.

Comics/Graphic Novels

We decided that Trese 5: Midnight Tribunal as the winner of the comic/graphic novel catergory because its narrative was able to incorporate the elements of Philippine folklore, history, and pop culture, creating a unique balance between the fairy tale story and the fantasy graphic novel. Other elements of comics, such as the use of color, panelling, etc., were also utilized to complement the overall mood and movement of the narrative. Lastly, the story brings together both the young and the old generation: those who grew up hearing the stories of these mythical creatures from their elders, and those who are just discovering the Philippine folklore.

Essay Anthology

Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years by Susan F. Quimpo & Nathan Gilbert Quimpo (Anvil)

This anthology written by the Quimpo family siblings provides another perspective in decades of Philippine activism that is probably untold or unknown by many. This autobiography engages the Filipino reader because of the authors’ sincerity to what has really happened in their advocacy to combat the diseases of the Philippine society. In addition, it uses clear, vivid descriptions that makes such an autobiography enjoying and interesting to read.

Poetry

Lita: Poems on Women by the Cavite Young Writers Association (Balangay Books)

Lita: Poems on Women is a beautiful collection that illustrates vividly the different stereotypes about women, and places these stereotypes in the Filipino context to reflect the prejudices of society. It shows women in different roles in our society for how they really are, reminding us of the admirable inner strength of women. At the same time, it tackles topics that revolve around or indirectly affect women, including the fears of men and other societal issues.

Congratulations to all the winners! :)

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Thank you so much to each and every one of you who attended this year’s Filipino ReaderCon, especially since there have been changes in the schedule and the program due to supervening events. So for everyone who attended, helped promote in one way or another, supported the event from day one, and volunteered for the myriad of activities that made this year’s ReaderCon a success – THANK YOU.

As a final activity, we would like to ask for your comments/feedback regarding this year’s program. We all benefit from experience, it’s true, so whatever you think may help us improve for the next ReaderCon, we would all appreciate to hear from you.

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Yay! We’ve all waited for this for so long! It’s finally the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon! Here are some reminders for tomorrow:

Registration starts at 8:00am. If you pre-registered, please arrive at the venue before 8:00am to secure your slot. Walk-ins are allowed, so if you did not pre-register, you can still go through regular registration. Be reminded however, that this is first come, first served. Please arrive early.

During registration, sign up for the panel you wish to join. Check out event’s updated program, it should help you decide. :) You may switch to another panel if you change your mind. Just proceed to the registration table again and sign up to the new one. Again, this is first come, first served. We have limited seats for each panel.

Listen well and take good notes if you can. We have prepared a good mix of topics we know readers would enjoy and learn from.

Inside your kit are food stubs and will be given when you register. This includes 2 snacks and 1 cocktails. As for lunch, you may take them at any of the restaurants lined up along Katipunan Ave. Please be reminded not to lose your name tag as you’ll still use them in the afternoon sessions.

There is FREE WiFi at the venue. How awesome is that? Let us all be very interactive and tweet about the event using #filreadercon. We’ll be live tweeting the event, so make sure you’re following @PinoyReaderCon on Twitter. Please also tag us on your posts and photos on Facebook.

Readercons are all about readers like you. Please make the most out of it especially during the socials. We’d love to meet you and your group! It will be helpful if you’d bring your business cards so we can exchange them with each other and get to know you more, even after the event is over! :)

Finally, Readercon is also all about giving back. In light of the devastation brought about by Yolanda, we are holding a book drive for the Sacred Heart College in Tacloban. So, if you have books apt for high school students and you’re willing to donate them, please bring them over. We’ll set up a table where you can give your donations.

So, there! We hope everyone is all geared up for tomorrow. See you at What Readers Want: The 3rd Filipino Readercon–December 7th 2013 (Saturday), 8:00am to 6:00pm at the Rizal Library!